Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill close to success

The Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill has now moved closer to success than any other Australian Bill, except the Northern Territory Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995. That law was overturned by the Federal Euthanasia Laws Act 1997, which also removed the democratic right of the Parliaments in the Territories (NT and ACT) to debate and pass such laws – regardless of the wishes of those citizens and MPs.

Almost all voluntary assisted dying Bills so far have not even been fully debated, but debate stopped at the Second Reading stage, eg all three Tasmanian Bills in 2009, 2013 and 2017.

The Victorian Bill was passed in the Legislative Assembly on 20 October by a vote of 47 – 37. It subsequently passed the Second Reading vote on 3 November in the upper house, the Legislative Council by a vote of 22 – 18. When the debate resumes next week, it will go through detailed consideration of the sections of the Bill and consider potentially hundreds of amendments. A few MPs have indicated their support is dependent on amendments such as reducing the required prognosis from 12 months to live to 6 months.